Tuesday, April 28, 2009

That NY Times article about the perfect chocolate chip cookie has been floating around for a while. Like a year. I've already poasted about Toll House chocolate chip cookies, which are a little thick and cakey. I love them, but I always want a softer, kind of gooey cookie. Not so cakey, not crispy. I am never able to wait a day or two for anything, so I put off making these cookies, because the recipe demands that you have to chill them at least 24 hours. Luckily, it's been 90+ degrees the last few days, so it's been too hot to do much of anything. Just mixing up these cookies was almost too much for me, so I was more than happy to stick them in the fridge and go back to the couch, where there is the best air flow. The first few batches I made I baked 15 minutes, which was less than the 18-20 minute baking time the recipe called for. That turned out to be too long, and while the cookies were good, they were not soft. They were crispy. The next few batches (these require numerous batches, since the cookies are fairly large) I baked for 13 minutes, and they were perfect. A little undercooked when you pull them out, they will finish up baking while they cool.

The verdict? These are great. If I can stand to wait, in the future, I will be making these cookies. I might halve the recipe, though.

2 1/2 sticks of butter, room temp (I might use a bit less next time, they were a tad greasy)

1 1/4 c brown sugar

1 c plus 2 T granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 T vanilla

1 lb chocolate chips or broken chocolate pieces (I used milk chocolate, I know this is wrong, but it's what I had)

Mix together the flour, teff, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips. Cover tightly and refridgerate for 24-36 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and scoop or roll balls of cookie dough about the size of golfballs. Sprinkle lightly with coarse grained salt (be sure to wipe the pan between batches, or you will end up with extra salty cookies). Bake 13-15 minutes, depending on your desired crispiness. Cool a minute on the cookie sheets, then remove to a cooling rack.

I am so excited about this recipe. Found out three weeks ago that I am allergic to wheat, gluten, eggs and milk. I have used several recipes from your blog and I'm going to try this one too. Do you think I should use ground flax seed instead of the eggs? Or egg replacer?

I have always been known for my excellent chocolate chip cookies. Maybe this recipe will let me continue that reputation and still stay healthy. Thanks again.

Stella-I don't really know about egg replacers- I haven't worked with them at all. I would maybe halve the recipe and try whichever egg replacer you like best. I would suggest you use vegetable shortening instead or Earth Balance instead of the milk, either will work fine in place of butter if you have a milk allergy as well. Let me know what works, if you have success!Jill